MOVE-ON

The project is related to the mapping and assessing the state of ecosystems and their services in the outermost regions and overseas countries and territories.

Abstract :

The ongoing work on MOVE (which this consortium is running) has already showed that the steps forward in the implementation of MAES in ORs and OCTs involve (i) tailoring existing methodologies, or develop new ones, taking into account common specificities and needs, (ii) providing opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaborative work and (iii) promoting the involvement of decision makers in initiatives with practical relevance. Therefore, the present action proposes to address these 3 issues in an integrated fashion.
The central feature of this proposal is the development of 4 Anchor Projects. These have multiple purposes. On a basic level they will advance MAES in a context of low development in the field. In this sense, they were chosen to cover a wide range of ecosystems (marine and terrestrial), geographical locations and scales, and to cover all the spectrum from methodological development to decision-maker advice. But the Anchor Projects are also opportunities for joint reflections on the methodological specificities of ORs and OCTs and as a focus were similar, ongoing initiatives could converge, creating synergies and opportunities for development at a scale larger than the initial consortium. Finally, they were planned to respond to specific needs of decision-makers, so they can bridge the gap between the technical and the political spheres. This will be further aided by an Activity fully dedicated to looking at how the protection of environment and the improvement of the health status of ecosystems can support the achievement of EU and International policies and goals, developing and disseminating good practice guidelines and policy recommendations.
To support the Anchor Projects, a group of partners will review the existing methodologies and approaches, adapting them to the specificities of the EU Overseas. These regions have unique pristine ecosystems, particularly in the marine realm, and the opportunity will be taken to also develop conceptual models of ecosystem services provision changes according to the “quality” of the ecosystems in a context of climate change and anthropogenic pressures.
Outreach and sustainability are key and interrelated concerns. An Activity has therefore been dedicated to actively look for ongoing MAES related efforts on ORs and OCTs and to build bridges with MOVE-ON activities at all levels. This final objective of this activity is to create an EU Overseas Ecosystem Knowledge Network which will focus the work of researchers, technicians and decision-makers after the project ends.